The Georgia Institute of Technology's Petit Institute for Bioengineering & Bioscience will be the host and lead organizer for the upcoming 2013 meeting of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), Americas Chapter (TERMIS-AM) Conference & Exposition to be held in Atlanta, GA on November 10-13, 2013. Georgia Tech is requesting funding support for the conference's opening symposium titled Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine: Origins and Evolution. This symposium will gather past, present, and future thought leaders to examine the evolution of the discipline over the last 25 years, identify current barriers to advancements, and serve as a platform to better understand and guide a new era of scientific innovation and medical advances. The upcoming 2013 TERMIS-AM conference marks 25 years since the first meeting dedicated to tissue engineering, and one supported by the federal government, that established a framework for this new and innovative sector of medical research. For this reason, it is important to acknowledge the progress made since this time. The planned opening symposium will be a half-day event that will consist of seven plenary session talks that will highlight the advances made over the last 25 years in the areas of stem cells, biomaterials, biomechanics, and clinical therapies. The event will conclude with a panel discussion led by emerging leaders in the field who can offer important insight regarding the direction and advances needed over the next 25 years. The symposium will offer an important historical perspective to trainees and young faculty on the beginnings of regenerative medicine as a scientific discipline. The funding requested in this proposal will provide 28 travel awards for women researchers and trainees to attend the full conference, as well as provide travel support for four symposium speakers. The conference will be rigorously publicized to attract women and underrepresented minorities, with particular focus on historically black universities and medical schools, as well as individuals with disabilities.